Target: Sean McMaster, Administrator of Federal Highway Administration
Goal: Support more stoplights at intersections that pose an imminent risk to driver and passenger safety.
In Colorado, a husband and wife died within two years of each other in traffic accidents. In an ironic and tragic twist, the spouses lost their lives at the same problematic intersection. Following his wife Andreia’s passing, Gerry Goldberg advocated for traffic lights to be installed at this deadly crossroads. But bureaucratic red tape and some local opposition prevented this plan from coming to fruition. Now, the fight for a light has begun anew.
The problem is not specific to Colorado. Nationwide, an estimated 20 percent of all traffic crashes involve intersections. Of crash-related deaths, the number involving intersections rises to 25 percent. And if all traffic-related injuries are taken into account, the number with intersections as the root cause soars to one-half of all injuries. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has stated its commitment to intersection safety, but these troubling statistics do no bear out that commitment.
Sign the petition below to demand the FHWA invest more funds and resources in making America’s most problematic and deadliest intersections safer for all travelers.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Administrator McMaster,
Unsignalized intersections that lack a traffic light account for the lion’s share of traffic intersection crashes and fatalities across America. High-speed roads that are without proper safeguards pose an even greater risk. Although these incidents are widely considered an urban problem, the tragic cases of husband and wife Gerry and Andreia Goldberg – rural Colorado residents who died less than two years apart at the same unsignalized intersection – demonstrate the ramifications touch every part of the United States. On its own website, the FHWA states a commitment to “the vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways. Making intersections safer is a critical and essential step toward realizing that vision.”
If you truly believe in this vision and making it a reality, honor this couple and the thousands of Americans who have similarly died in preventable crashes. Launch a dedicated and well-invested program to help every state equip unsafe and deadly intersections with traffic lights. Signalize America’s intersections, and in the process send a signal that safety is a top priority.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Josh Sorenson
